Judge hands loss to White House on visitors logs

[babylonsister]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SECRET_SERVICE_WHITE_HOUSE?SITE=CONGRA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Judge hands loss to White House on visitors logs

By PETE YOST
Associated Press Writer


WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal judge on Friday rejected the Bush administration's latest attempt to keep secret the identities of White House visitors and declared that the Bush administration had engaged in illegal record-keeping practices.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth concluded the illegal practices took place before October 2004 when the Secret Service transferred large numbers of entry and exit logs to the White House and then deleted internal Secret Service copies of them.

The practices ended, the judge said, after various private organizations went to court in an effort to gain access to the logs.

Lamberth's ruling brushed aside the government's argument that revealing Secret Service logs would impede the president's ability to perform his constitutional duties.

The court said that the likelihood of harm is not great enough to justify curtailing the public disclosure goals of the Freedom of Information Act.

A watchdog group asked for the records to determine whether nine conservative religious leaders visited the White House and Vice President Dick Cheney's residence in October 2006.

Lamberth's decision means the government will have to find other legal grounds if it wants to block release of the Secret Service logs.

The Bush administration's request to extend the presidential communications privilege to Secret Service logs is inconsistent with other decisions by the federal courts in Washington, D.C., the judge said.

[merh]

1. Way to go judge.

Of course Gannon and all the "secret visitors" is so 2003, the abuses of the office so varied and numerous, it's hard to keep up.

Did anyone keep a scorecard?

[G_j]

2. illegal record-keeping practices

mmm, so will anyone be held accountable?

[aquart]

4. Did they ever do anything that was not illegal?

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. It's not too late to toss him in jail and throw away the key...

I don't think the country would miss his last 10 plus days in office.

[Catshrink]

5. So whom did Gannon/Guckert visit?

Maybe we'll find out. More importantly, who was on Cheney's Energy Task Force? Will that show up on the logs?

[bdamomma]

13. maybe he visited George???

[PearliePoo2]

6. Are these logs also going to reveal.........

how many times Gannon/Guckert checked in with his PJ's for a weekend "sleep-over"?
I'm glad (and surprised) to see these secretive, criminal bastards losing in the courts.

[Catshrink]

7. GMTA!

[PearliePoo2]

14. yeah...first thing I thought of!

Unfortunately, as the posters below speculated, those visitor logs were the victim of a terrible terrible mishap. They were mistakenly destroyed by an inept aide who didn't know better.
Oopsie, so sorry, so sad.....
(count on it from these thugs)

[shraby]

8. Wonder when they'll be released and posted online.

[sinkingfeeling]

9. Wonder if those logs will even exist after Bushco. leaves or after years more of appeals.

[donco6]

10. They're probably shredded by now.

And no one will do anything about it. Sadly.

[uppityperson]

11. Good decision. WH is not above the law.

Maybe we can get to the bottom of JimmyJeff. Actually, that was poorly written.

[babylonsister]

12. LOL!

:spray:

[PearliePoo2]

15. !!

No it was perfectly written...I did hear Jeffie is a top.
(my guess is RovieBoy just happened to be in attendence everytime Jeff came-a-callin')

[blogslut]

16. The truth about Guckert's visits is intriguing, however

I don't believe he visited the WH in order to service a member of the administration. I think his visits were all about acquiring classified information and talking points. I'm more interested in who mentored Guckert (Bobby Eberle?), who granted Gannon access (Scott McClellan?) and who Guckert met with (KKKarl?). This is the elusive thread that Jimmy G. researchers have been searching for since 2005.

Just the same, I'm very glad the Bush administration is losing this fight. Perhaps we can finally discover the truth about other visitors like Jack Abramoff and all the slimy snakes that slithered in and out of Cheney's lair.